Chapter2

#Chapter2

/"Father/" called a young Rose from the woods. She was too deep into the woods for her father to notice. She was scared, the woods were extremely dark, however, there was a peaceful silence.

Peaceful for young Rose.

She could feel the soft black soil under her feet tickling her as she stepped.

She giggled as her eye met a bird, Her giggle was disputed by a cry, she gasps looking around walking in deep towards the cry of a deer. Her eyes fell upon one, wound by a thorn full branch, his antler stuck between the dry branches of dead bushes. She let out a gasp

/"Father?/" The king moved his eyes from his wife to his daughter. He smiled reaching out his hand for her to take. /"My darling/" Rose sat beside him studying his pale face, /"You are ill/" She whispered and he nodded. /"Nothing to worry about my sweet/" She frowned hugging him. The queen smiled in grief turning around and letting the tears of sorrow shed through her eyes.

The king's condition worsened day by day. As the winter took leaves off the trees, the winter took his health, day by day. His sudden illness was known to everyone. However, no one could understand his condition. The queen fell in deep sorrow as the king was her one and only support.

She couldn't think of losing him, nor her child.

/"Well?/" The queen asked as the man helped her king back in bed. His neck bowed to her and shook ever so slightly expressing disappointment and sorrow.

/"We do not know what he was poisoned with, your grace, I have tried my best/" She clenched her jaw nodding at the man who bowed to the ill King.

/"I wish I was more careful my love, But -/" She shook her holding into his hands tight. As he passed a Brooch of Ruby in her hand, /"Give to our new Queen when she is crown, it is my only wish. For her to sit upon the throne and have a good life/" The queen closed her eyes letting the tears run down her cheeks.

Rose was quiet, she did not question anyone. She expected her father to recover soon. Unfortunately, No one had prepared hers for such painful news, She was kept in the dark for a month.

/"You should not show your frown your highness/" She looked up to Vincent but lowered her gaze to the grass while her fingers pluck them out little by little. Showing that small amount of sorrow she could not hold in. /"There is no one here who would stare/" He sighs kneeling down on the grass where she sat with her hands hugging her legs. Her chin down and her face hidden.

/"You are sad,/" He said, /"Father is ill/" He nodded understanding the princess. /"You have to be strong for him, you are his daughter and son. If you can't be strong for His majestic, then who would be?/" She looked up at him.

/"You think he will get better?/" He lowers his gaze. /"I never give false thoughts away princess/" She felt her tears roll down her cheeks.

/"No one lets me near him, no one tells me how he is doing. I only see him at night. I can't-I can't/"

Vincent grabbed her hand lightly pressing it, /"Everything will be alright Princess, As long you keep your head up high/" She broke down hiding her face on his shoulders. /"But I can't !/" The guards ran as they heard cries of their princess however Vincent pulled his hand up to halt them.

Rose cried for long under the arms of Vincent, Letting her tears that she kept in for a month all fall down her cheeks. Until she realized she had to meet her father, weather he would get better soon or not, but she will meet him every day.

/"Help me pick flowers for my father ?/" He nodded smiling.

Rose ran her fingertips ever so gently over her father's loved flowers, Sage and Lavenders.

She smiles taking some and cutting them and arranging them in a porcelain vase her father gifted her just months ago. She walked to her father's Chambers with the vase full of Sage and lavender in her hands while Vincent walked behind her.

/"Princess, No one shall enter the king's chambers. It is an order from the Queen/" She gulped. Stepping back, however, Vincent touched her back holding her from turning around.

/"You are the princess, remember ?/" He whispered. Rose held her head up high step forward.

/"Open the doors/" She commanded. The guards stared at each other for a minute contemplating.

/"You dare defy my command? I need to see my father, now move/" She said. Vincent's stare met the guards and he nodded once. The doors opened letting Rose in. She pulled her lips between her teeth walking inside towards her father's bed.

/"Father?/" She called, walking slowly. The curtains were drawn, there was darkness. Something her father despised. /"Rose/" He called making her walk ahead faster.

She pulled the string of the curtains withdrawing them to allow some light in.

/"Ah, you brought me flowers?/" She smiled setting them right near the windows, her heart stopped when eyes laid upon her father.

The once healthy muscular man was now in bed, weak with his face pale, his body shrunk into itself showing his veins. His eyes sinking in there sockets. His lips a shade of grey.

/"You are such a beauty, just like your mother,/" He said, extending his hand just a little to her to take. /"Father - what, what happened?/" She asked holding on his hand with both of hers and kneeling to her father and tears swelled up her eyes.

/"Hush now. Listen to me very carefully. I might not make it/" She shook her head but he continued. /"I want you to be a strong girl and make sure you take care of your mother/"

She cried bowing her head down. But he chuckled. /"Silly girl, I won't go away. I will be here with you. Always, there will always be a dark shadow looming over you. But you have to believe in yourself and be happy. Just like I told you when you were a little girl./"

She opened her eyes looking at him.

/"You did things which no one human here has done. You survived something no one does. And you have stabbed yourself with a dark Thorne and saved someone's life. Be proud of that/" She nodded rubbing her eyes and smiling.

/"I am papa. Promise me you will get better?/" He shook his head once, /"A king should make false promises, now stopping with the tears, I want you to go and eat a lot of food, your mother told me you don't eat much/" She nodded.

Fluffing up the flowers she brought for her father. His eyes stared at them as his hand reached out for one of them. /"Such a beautiful shade of color isn't it Rose?/" She hummed.

/"Too bad, I can't see them anymore/" She stopped, her eyes staring at her father who stared right at her, emotionless. She took out a thin branch of Sage and kept it beside him.

/"Here, so you can touch them/" He smiled nodding, /"I will come to meet you, tomorrow father. I love you/" He smiled.

Vincent pushed himself off the wall as Rose walked out the doors. Her face held a deep dark frown which Vincent noticed, He followed her walk at her small garden where she slammed the door shut and fell to the ground crying.

Vincent opened the glass door slowly and watched the once zest princess crying on the ground with her face in her hands, /"Rose/" He whispered putting his hand on her shoulder.

/"He can't see, He cannot see Vincent. He couldn't see my face/" She trembled.

Rose never imagined her father to be weak. He had put forth the ideal King in front of his daughter who never gets hurt, who never frowns, who never falls ill. But watching his weak body on the bed she was stabbed with a sudden thought that she might not see him again.

While this sorrow took over the hearts of the people who served their king , Lord Edmund put forth his plan to take over the kingdom, and the Princess. He was fond of her, her beautiful ginger hair, her soft honey brown eyes. Her blush cheeks.

And her beautiful body.